Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Colin McFarlane, Sophie Stone, Zaqi Ismail, Morven Christie, Arsher Ali, Steven Robertson.
The lesson to be learned around the Doctor is to be careful what you wish for, to never search for that what you seek, for in asking for adventure rather than it sneaking up on you, by taking you by surprise, the very real possibility that Death may come haunting you is to be remembered and observed.
Death is the most constant companion of the Doctor, wherever he goes, so too does the shrouded being with the passionate embrace and as Clara and the Doctor go on into the night, the more that Death is taking a liking to teacher from Coal Hill School as well.
Having made their escape from the clutches of Skaro and the mad, twisted genius of Davros, the most obvious place to turn up next and with Clara ruminating on the lack of adventure is under the water of a long forgotten base, a base that holds a mystery of such intriguing questions and with it Death’s most persistent ally, The Doctor, must face everyone’s fears, such is the problem facing the man from Gallifrey in Under The Lake.
The first of another two-part story, Under The Lake takes the viewer into the realms of the forgotten, the abandoned and the forsaken, the small villages dotted around the U.K. which were submerged to make way for lakes and the waters in which to feed growing cities such as Liverpool and Birmingham and in which whilst the people survived, so did the memories of the buildings left to slowly become nothing more than playthings for creatures to swim in.
With a ghost on the loose in the underwater base, the expedition team, Clara and The Doctor are running out of time to understand the actions of the forsaken and why they are intent on killing more of the group.
The episode hangs on the basis of The Doctor, a very enigmatic Peter Capaldi, taking a risk that might not be a very well thought out one but which leaves the scenario open for Death and The Doctor to dance in the open space of Time, it is a scene that plays out well throughout and whilst it would take something completely off the scale to top the opening two episodes of the new series, the intensity on Mr. Capaldi’s face throughout is enough to put the jitters up the most eager of fans, it is raw and beautiful and as always Jenna Coleman as Clara reacts to it with supreme skill.
The Doctor may have waited a long time for a dance with Death in such close confines but he eagerly embraces it and for the makers of Doctor Who to go down the road of having so many two part stories in the series, to leave the viewer having to learn patience to see their favourite Time Lord resolve the mystery in place, is to be reminded of what brought many older fans to the programme in the first place.
Under The Lake certainly is made of stern stuff, not one to shy away from the big questions of life that will invariably come, it is why the Doctor remains such a big draw.
Ian D. Hall